1. Field
The present invention relates generally to the separation of designated ions from liquids and has particular use in the desalination of water and in the concentration of dissolved salts in a confined effluent.
2. State of the Art
The separation of identified ions from a liquid containing those ions has been of interest for many years in connection with various processes. One of these processes is the desalination of water. Another would be the concentration of dissolved salts for use in other economic processes.
Currently, there are five basic techniques that are known and can be used to separate salt and other such dissolved solids from water and these include distillation, reverse osmosis, electrodialysis, ion exchange, and freeze desalination. Distillation and freezing involve removing pure water, in the form of water vapor or ice, from a salty brine. Reverse osmosis and electrodialysis use membranes to separate dissolved salts and minerals from water, while ion exchange involves an exchange of dissolved mineral ions in the water for other, more desirable dissolved ions as the water passes through chemical "resins." A more description of each of these techniques is as follows: